Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Elias Zapple, children’s author of the Duke & Michel series of books, well-known moustache model and champion cabbage grower and these are not the only interesting facts about me. I am of average height, above average weight, (though I assure you that my many muscles are purely on an extended holiday), and with superior yet underrated looks. I enjoy sipping cabbage soup, growing cabbages and am extremely fond of admiring myself in the reflection of car windows as the wind races through my hair.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is the first book as the second book is shy, though it has promised to release itself from its room sometime around lunch, just before Christmas.
The first book, Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor, (which is available everywhere… on Amazon), was inspired when one night, as I slept in my four-poster bed, I was rudely awoken by some strange barking. I rushed downstairs to the parlour to see an adorable Basset Hound staring at me with those sad, puppy-dog eyes. He opened his mouth and said nothing because he’s a dog and cannot speak, not like us tulips. However, it got me thinking. What if he could speak, what would he say? I went back to sleep, after having kicked the Basset Hound out of the house, and the entire book of Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor came to me, page by page, word by word.
Book 1: Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor – released
Book 2: Duke & Michel: The King Tingaling Painting – reluctant to be released
Book 3: Duke & Michel: The Return of the Nibbles – stuck in my brain
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Just before I scribble out a word, I have a compulsion, a ritual if you will, of taking one of my cabbages and hurling them at my neighbour, Dieter just as he goes out into his garden to feed his rabbits.
Aside from that, I do not really have any unusual habits. Maybe I am just a bit of an ordinary, boring, run-of-the-mill, New York Times best-selling author as all I really need to write is a mug of herbal tea, paper and a little needle in which to prick my index finger.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Roald Dahl and all his works have influenced me greatly as have the fumes I was fortunate enough to inhale when I worked as 19th century Victorian chimney sweep.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on perfecting a new style for my moustache. When not waxing and styling Mr Snazzy, the name of my moustache, I am attempting to put up a new tent on a hill outside of Maputo, Mozambique.
Away from that busy schedule, and if the hypnotherapy works, I shall be working on Duke & Michel: The Return of the Nibbles.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I always find that moustachesoftheworld.com is a wonderful website in which to promote yourself. As for books, I do enjoy Twitter. Interacting with fans and exchanging cabbage-growing tips is wonderful.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Consider plumbing as a new profession. If you do insist on persisting with this writing lark, avoid entering children’s literature as this is my domain and I shan’t hesitate in hurling cabbages at you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Elias, write that children’s book, ‘Duke & Michel’, it’ll be a huge success and children everywhere will love it. Also, please eat the lettuce in the fridge before it goes bad.” – My pet slug, Steve, after I had just mowed him down in a fatal lawn mowing accident.
What are you reading now?
‘How to Put Up a Tent’ by R.P. Baden.
‘Get the Most Out of Your Pet Slug’ by Slim Y. Roach
‘Cabbages – The Wonderful World of…’ by Mya Sprouts
I am a voracious reader, as you can see, and am often going through books quicker than I go through pet slugs. So much so, that I have had to organise quite a number of book burnings.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have been selected to co-author the encyclopaedia to combing moustaches. Before that begins however, I shall attempt to continue book 3 of the Duke & Michel saga, ‘The Return of the Nibbles’.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Peter Ustinov’s ‘Monsieur Rene’.
Author Websites and Profiles
Elias Zapple Website
Elias Zapple Amazon Profile
Elias Zapple’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account